The ‘RB Experience’

RB High is known for its constant strive to improve the campus and the culture that surrounds it. Whether it be through the addition of more academic classes, or the involvement of students within the over 80 clubs on campus, RB High celebrates its diversity and continues to foster social and academic development for its students. In doing so, the “RB Experience” has been initiated by administration to start the conversation between students, teachers, and parents for what they want RB High to be.
The “RB Experience” aims to culminate in a statement created by staff, teachers, parents and students about who we are and what ideas we believe in as a school. The process starts, however, with a collection of feedback from all perspectives to figure out the good, the bad, and what can be changed.
“The ‘RB Experience’ is an attempt to answer the why, primarily why are we doing what we are doing?” Principal Dave LeMaster said.
Once the feedback has been collected, conversations on the different elements and pieces that make up the statement can begin. Of course, with the varying population at RB High, also come the varying opinions, these meetings will be held for everyone including parents to raise their concerns and objections.
The last few years at RB High have undoubtedly been full of changes. Implementing new state standards for all subjects, making the change to a quarter system, and the focus around interventions and efforts to close the achievement gap have been prioritized. However, with these things in progress, concentrating on the culture that surrounds RB High was the next important step to building a better school.
“The last five years have been focused on those three things, and it’s not about simply being done with those things, but we are now at a point where we can talk about culture, and who we are, and what our belief is,” LeMaster said. “They are a fabric of what we do, but now we can take a step back and look at the overarching experience that helps support those things. Since we have accomplished those three initiatives, it seems like a natural progression because now we can focus on having that conversation about who we are.”
The RB Experience has a goal to not only make a set of rules and guidelines according to the beliefs of the people who make up our school, but it also hopes to create a more safer, diverse, and accepting campus for all. However, with the constant changes in our practices according to policies, policies, and course offerings, these statements will also have to evolve.
There needs to be some flexibility so that it can be broad,” LeMaster said. “For example, the term “21st-century learner” meant something else 10 years ago than it does today, so there should be room for interpretation.”